Latest News On Opioids

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Jury’s In: Opioids Are Not Better Than Other Medicines For Chronic Pain

KFF Health News Original

A new study followed patients with severe chronic pain for a year and found that opioids relieved pain and increased function no better than common drugs like acetaminophen and lidocaine. But the opioids carry the risk of more serious side effects, including addiction and death.

California To Drug Users: We’ll Pay For You To Test Your Dope

KFF Health News Original

Fentanyl, a significant cause of overdoses and deaths across the country, has begun showing up in California street drugs. State health officials have responded with a bold but controversial policy: paying for test strips so users can check their stash.

La muerte de un tío por sobredosis impulsa a oficial de Medicaid a actuar

KFF Health News Original

Un oficial de los Servicios de Medicare y Medicaid se enteró casi dos años después que uno de sus tíos más queridos había muerto víctima de las drogas. Esa verdad lo impulsó a un cambio de rumbo.

Hospital Honchos Hone New Message In Wake Of Opioid Epidemic: Expect Pain

KFF Health News Original

“We really do have a lot of responsibility and culpability,” says one hospital official who is part of a working group trying to address the opioid epidemic. Patients have to expect more pain after surgery and understand the risk of addiction, says another doctor.

Drug Overdose Deaths Soar Nationally But Plateau In Some Western States

KFF Health News Original

Fatalities are climbing in states that have been flooded by the deadly opioid fentanyl, but are remaining flat — or even falling — in many Western states, where the drug has not yet been as common as other parts of the country.

Maine Voters Chose Medicaid Expansion. Why Is Their Governor Resisting?

KFF Health News Original

Even though voters in Maine decided to expand Medicaid through a ballot measure, the law’s fate is still unclear. Gov. Paul LePage says the Legislature must find funds for it without raising taxes. Advocates say the law is on their side and expansion must be implemented.

Pharmacists Slow To Dispense Lifesaving Overdose Drug

KFF Health News Original

Laws in California and most other states allow pharmacists to provide naloxone to patients or their friends without a doctor’s prescription. But many don’t do so, citing lack of demand and awareness among patients, their own fears of insufficient compensation and the challenges of treating opioid users.

Arizona Declares Opioid Emergency, But Signals Are Mixed Over Best Response

KFF Health News Original

Arizona is one of a few states that have declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency. There’s no uniformity in what that means from state to state, though, and even within Arizona, there’s a wide divergence of opinion on how best to tackle the problem.

Opioids After Surgery Left Her Addicted. Is That A Medical Error?

KFF Health News Original

Doctors prescribed powerful opioids for a patient after back surgery but gave her little guidance on how to take them safely. Then, she says, they misdiagnosed her withdrawal symptoms. Some experts say this situation is akin to a hospital-acquired condition.

Stopping Opioid Addiction At One Key Source: The Hospital

KFF Health News Original

Based on research conducted at the University of Michigan’s medical center, a group of surgeons developed a strategy to help post-surgical patients from misusing or abusing their prescription painkillers.